Sound of a Sparrow Hatching
by Daughter of Horus
Summary: A look at Jack's parents, and the circumstances surrounding his birth. Not like any other story out there, I promise. For one thing, his mother is Anne Bonney.


Okay, see, by all rights I should be shot for writing this…_unholy_ meeting of POTC and history. But then again, I am taking Advanced Placement American history this year, so I suppose I could write this off as "homework". And if it turns out that this totally sucks, that's my excuse.

Disclaimer: If I owned POTC, I would make Will fall off a cliff and make Elizabeth fall into Jack's arms.

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"It's settled, then. You will go to London. I have relatives there who will care for you and…the child." The middle-aged man glared at his daughter severely. "You will not be allowed down to the docks, the taverns, or any other places of ill repute. Is that clear, Anne?"

Anne Bonney—for it was she—nodded wordlessly. It had been a few months since she, her lover John Rackham, and their friend Mary Read had been captured and sentenced to hang as pirates. While "Calico Jack" had been hanged promptly, Mary and Anne had pled their bellies, allowing their deaths to be postponed. **(1.)** While Mary had died in prison, Anne's father had arranged for her release.

Since then, Anne had been drained mentally, emotionally, and physically. Her hair, normally kept short and bleached by the sun into a sandy blonde, had grown long. (Her father had forbidden her to cut it.) The highlights had faded, leaving it a muddy shade of brown. Her blue eyes had lost their spark, and appeared dull and lifeless. Since her release, she had been closely guarded and forbidden to do anything herself. She even had maids pick out her clothes! Now, with her father's words, a spark of hope began to form. She was determined not to do anything stupid that would jeopardize it, and, accordingly, she tried not to look too eager.

Her father continued, "I will, of course, send money for you, to aid in the raising of my grandchild. I've arranged passage on a ship for you, and it leaves in two weeks."

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As the crew of the _King George_ readied themselves for the Atlantic crossing, a very pregnant young woman in widow's weeds approached the captain, followed by her servants. She showed remarkable grace as she edged around the supplies stacked on the dock, and from what the sailors could see of her face through her veil, she was very pretty. They failed to notice that she rolled slightly when she walked, as though she had been on a ship for a long time.

"Sir?"

Now, it should be noted that the captain of the _King George_ had only been captain for six months. As such, he had not yet tired of people calling him "sir"—especially if the person happened to be a lovely young woman, as Anne was. "What can I do for you, Madame?"

"I've booked passage aboard this ship…My name is Mrs. Sparrow."

"Ah, yes, right this way."

The sailors watched her board the ship. One, a young man named Joshamee Gibbs, remarked to his friends, "I've heard it be bad luck, bringin' a woman aboard." **(2.)** His crewmates nodded, and one crossed himself.

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Contrary to Gibbs' prediction, the weather was calm and the seas glassy as a mirror, right up until a few days before the ship entered the London harbor, when their passenger gave birth. After many hours spent writhing and screaming in labor, the babies were delivered. The doctor smiled as he told her, "Congratulations, Mrs. Sparrow. You have twins—a boy and a girl. What are their names?"

Anne gazed on her children's faces for the first time. While both were still red and wrinkled like all newborns, they had wisps of hair that she suspected would be as dark as their fathers'. Unbidden, a memory flashed through Anne's mind.

**Flashback**

It was October, but still quite warm in the Caribbean, and Anne was leaning on the railing of the Grand Turk, looking at the stars. **(3.)** She was soon joined by Mary.

"Anne?" She turned, raising an eyebrow.

"Aye, Mary?"

"What are we going to do about…" Mary gestured first at her stomach, then at Anne's. The other pirate shrugged. "Same thing Jack did the first time I was with child—we'll be put ashore on Cuba until the brats're born."

"Oh. Will ye promise me somethin', Annie? If you have a girl…will ye name it afta me?"

"O'course—but only if you name yer girl after me!"

A month later, they had been captured, Jack Rackham was dead, and Mary was dying. She was in her sixth month when she died, laid low not in battle, not by the noose, but by a simple fever.

**End Flashback**

"The girl's name is Mary."

"And the boy, ma'am?"

Another image flashed through Anne's mind.

**Yet another flashback**

"Calico Jack" Rackham was going to hang. As the soldiers marched him to the gallows, Anne was permitted to speak to her lover one last time. For a long time, she could only stare, feeling tears gather at the corners of her eyes. Jack, who had once been known for the fineness of his dress and cleanness of person, resembled nothing so much as a man who had long since given up hope. Finally, she spoke.

"I am sorry to see you like this, Jack. But if you had fought like a man, you would not be going to hang like a dog. Pull yourself together!"

He smiled wearily. "Anne, love, remember that promise ye made to me?"

"Aye. If I bear a son, he'll 'ave yer name." And with this reassurance, John Rackham straightened himself up, dusted himself off, and went to face his death.

**End Flashback**

"Ma'am, what did you say your son's name would be?"

"…Jack. Jack Sparrow."

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1. To "plead your belly" was to postpone hanging by being, or claiming to be, pregnant. You would be allowed to deliver your child, who would be put in an orphanage; then you would be hanged.

2. Heh, little movie reference there. Anne would have been around 20 when she was captured, so around the time POTC takes place (1756-'58), she would be around 50-55—the same general age as Gibbs.

3. The Grand Turk was Anne's and Jack's ship.

So, in conclusion, I think it's pretty safe to say that I am the crown princess of history nerds. By the way, according to actual history, Anne Bonney had a son on April 21, 1721. I took that date and bastardized it, so now it is Jack and Mary's birthday. If I write more POTC fanfics, expect Mary to make an appearance—she captains an all-female ship called the _Persephone_, and she has a slightly crippled teenage daughter.

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